California police said they arrested a 35-year-old man who allegedly sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl in her bedroom after sneaking in their home through a balcony and walking out of the front door five hours later.
Culver City police officers said that they were called to a home in the Blair Hills area of Culver City early on Dec. 2.
The girl awakened her parents and told them to call the police at about 7:45 a.m.
The girl’s mother, Alexis, recounted what her daughter told her.
“‘Mom, we need to call the police’ I am thinking, am I hearing you right? Am I hearing you right? So, by the third time, she was very direct,” she said. “‘Call the police, mom.’ That’s what we did.”
Investigators say that the intruder had snuck into the home between 2 and 3 in the morning through a sliding glass door on a balcony.
He allegedly sexually assaulted the girl and left hours later through the front door, according to Alexis. The girl waited until she felt it was safe and then went to her parents.
Police were able to obtain an image of a suspect from surveillance video and asked for help from the public to identify the man.
Weeks later, investigators said that they identified a suspect through DNA evidence that had been collected at the scene of the crime. The suspect, Marcos Maldonado, had been living at a downtown Los Angeles hotel but had boarded a bus to go to Bakersfield. They apprehended him in the Santa Clarita area after pulling the bus over.
Maldonado was arrested on suspicion of aggravated sexual assault of child and held on a $1.25 million bond.
Police said there was no evidence that the suspect knew the victim.
“While we have no reports of additional crimes of this nature in the Culver City area, we are collaborating with other law enforcement agencies to identify any additional victims,” read a press release from the Culver City police.
Here’s a news report about the incident:
Man arrested in sexual assault of girl, 12, during Culver City break-inwww.youtube.com
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